2026 Drama Award Recipient
The Ghosts of Mariupol by Christopher Morris
In 2022, Russia bombed Ukraine’s Mariupol Theatre, killing over 600 people sheltering there. Amongst them were staff and artists of the Mariupol Theatre. Following this, some of these artists moved to a town in Western Ukraine to continue their company’s work. And in Mariupol, Russia rebuilt the theatre they bombed and has been sending Moscow-based theatre directors to stage propogandist productions with local Ukrainian theatre artists, some of which are Mariupol Theatre artists who survived the bombing. The Ghosts of Mariupol follows the fractured relationship between two actresses, best friends, as one collaborates with Russians on a production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, while the other creates a show for wounded Ukrainian soldiers in a rehabilitation hospital in Western Ukraine. Inspired by the true stories of Mariupol theatre artists, The Ghosts of Mariupol is a story about survival, the limits of friendship and the power of theatre during war.
The peer assessment panel said: “Haunting, harrowing, and ethically complex, this play is a timely and original exploration of theatre in wartime.”
Christopher Morris is an actor, playwright and director and the artistic director of the Toronto-based theatre company Human Cargo. His most recent play tremblements premiered at Montréal’s ESPACE GO in November/2023, a French-language collaboration between Human Cargo and Québécois theatre artists. The Runner premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille in 2018 to critical acclaim winning three Dora Mavor Moore Awards including Outstanding New Play and has been touring across Canada since. Other credits include: Our Beautiful Sons (Blyth Festival); The Road to Paradise (co-playwright with Jonathan Garfinkel – Human Cargo/Crow’s Theatre/Buddies in Bad Times); Night (Human Cargo/National Arts Centre) and Return: The Sarajevo Project (co-playwright, Dora nomination). Christopher is currently writing the book and lyrics for a musical adaptation of Timothy Findley’s Not Wanted on the Voyage. He is the recipient of the Canada Council’s 2012 Joh Hirsch Prize for emerging directors and the 2005 K.M. Hunter Award for Theatre.
Special thanks to Drama Award Peer Assessment Panelists: Katrina Dunn (Chair), Barry Bilinsky, Daniel Macdonald.